Divine Love Is The True Religion

At the time of birth, all human beings are 
pure and undefiled. 
It is only the environment and company 
that pollutes the human mind. 
Follow the dictates of your conscience. 
Love and equanimity are the birthrights of man.

(Poem in Telugu)

At the time of birth, the human heart is pure, selfless, and steady. But with the passage of time, man loses his purity on account of his association with various individuals. The environment and company are mainly responsible for the good or bad in man. A piece of paper does not have any smell of its own. But if the same paper is used to pack pakoras or dry fish or jasmine flowers, it produces the smell associated with them. The paper is without any smell of its own. It gets the smell of the article it is associated with. That is why it is said, “Tell me your company, and I shall tell you what you are.” As is your company, so you become. So, you should always join good company. You can attain any exalted position with the help of a good company. All men are good by birth; it is their bad company that wrecks them. Today man is not making any enquiry as to what is good and what is bad. Such an enquiry is essential before making friendship with others. Adi Shankara declared:

Satsangatve Nissangatvam, 
Nissangatve Nirmohatvam, 
Nirmohatve Nishchala Tattvam, 
Nishchalatattve Jeevanmukti.

(One attains detachment by good company, and by detachment one can get rid of delusion. Freedom from delusion confers the state of equanimity, and equanimity leads to liberation).

Bad Company Is The Root Cause Of Man’s Downfall

Satsang (good company) helps you to attain sense control. ‘Sat’ is that which is permanent and eternal. In this world, everything is transitory. Only divinity is permanent. Your feelings will become noble and pure only when you associate yourself with divinity. First and foremost, recognise the fact that bad company is the root cause of man’s downfall.

Man wants to accomplish many things in life but is inhibited by the sense of fear lurking in his mind. It is only the association with God that can make man fearless. Every flower that blossoms does not become a fruit. Every fruit that a tree bears may not become ripe. But every ripened fruit is bound to fall from the tree. The same can be said about human life too. Man develops desires and indulges in undesirable practices which ultimately lead to his downfall.

Man has invented wonderful machines, which can even take him to the moon, but the most wonderful and mysterious of all the machines is the human body itself, which is God’s creation. God has gifted this wonderful machine to man not merely for eating, drinking, and making merry. All these are common for animals also. This being the case, what is so unique about human birth? Deho Devalaya Prokto, Jevo Deva Sanatana (the body is the temple, and the indweller is God). You may own a car, but it will be of use only if you know how to drive it. Otherwise, you may expose yourself to grave danger. Likewise, you should know how to make proper use of your body.

Today man is deluded by attachment. He is unable to realise the sacredness of the human body. He is putting it to gross misuse by indulging in worldly pleasures like birds and animals. The human body is gifted to experience truth and divine love, not to indulge in mean acts. Truth, righteousness, peace, and love are divine qualities. Birds and animals have only love, but not the remaining three qualities. One having all these four qualities alone is a true human being. Man should make proper use of the body. Only then will his life find fulfilment.

One-Pointed Devotion Of Gopikas

Embodiments of Love!

Of all gifts of God, time and love are the most precious. Man has to make proper use of time to experience divine love. But today man is wasting three fourth of his time in mundane pursuits whether he is a brahmachari (student), grahastha (householder), a vanaprastha (recluse) or sanyasi (renunciant). Then how can he expect to have noble thoughts? He is unable to undertake any sacred activity as his mind is clouded with ego.

The Bhagavad-gita declares, “_Karmanye vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana_” (man has right over action, but not on the fruits thereof). So, perform all your activities without expecting any reward. Do not waste your time worrying over the fruits of your actions. This is what is meant by the saying, “Duty is God”. Divinity will manifest once you perform your duty with sincerity.

Serve With The Feeling That You Are Serving God

It is a mistake to consider yourself a devotee if you undertake service activities expecting something in return. You have to render service with the feeling that God is present in all. Realise the truth, “_Eshavasyam, Idam Jagat_” (God pervades the entire universe). You may say that you have done rural service or served the flood victims. But these acts cannot be termed as service in its true sense if you have the feeling that you are serving others. Serve with the feeling that you are serving God, for God is in everybody.

Consider, for example, the sacred epic Bhagavatam, which speaks of the intense love and devotion of the gopikas for Krishna. Bhagavatam Chadivite Bhagavutam in Telugu means “If we study Bhagavatam, we shall become good,” that is to say, Bhagavutam confers goodness on all. It contains the essence of all the Vedas. The five letters ‘Bha,’ ‘Ga,’ ‘Va,’ ‘Ta,’ ‘Mu,’ stands for bhakti (devotion), jnana (wisdom), vairagyam (renunciation), tapas (penance) and mukti (liberation) respectively. This sacred epic describes at length gopikas yearning for Krishna when He left Gokul for Mathura where He was fully involved in the affairs of the kingdom.

Be One With The Lord Like Gopikas

The gopikas were unable to bear the pangs of separation from their dear Lord and were anxiously waiting for His return. The entire Gokul bore the look of barren land. There was no dearth of food and comforts in Gokul, yet the gopikas could not enjoy any of them as they thought life was not worth living without Krishna, whom they considered as their very life-breath. They lost their health and happiness as they were unable to bear the pangs of separation from Him. Krishna, being aware of gopikas’ plight. Summoned His friend Uddhava and asked him to proceed to Gokul to console the gopikas and give His message to them.

Uddhava was a great philosopher and jnani (one of wisdom). He realised that Krishna was omnipresent. As per the command of Krishna, he went to Gokul and conveyed Krishna’s message to the gopikas and gopalas. He told them that they should not limit Krishna to a small physical frame thinking that He was present only in Mathura. He tried to explain to the gopikas that Krishna is God Himself and that He is present everywhere; there is, therefore, no need for them to feel sorry that He is away.

Since the gopikas had totally surrendered themselves to Krishna, they would not look at or talk to a stranger. So, they made a bhramara (buzzing bee) as an intermediary and talked to Uddhava while addressing the bee. Having been used to worship Krishna’s beautiful form, they could not readily think of Krishna as a formless entity. Making fun of Uddhava’s preachings, they asked, “Do you practise what you preach? You are enjoying the proximity to our Lord Krishna, but are telling us to experience His attributeless and formless aspect. We don’t want your preaching or philosophy. We are not interested in your formless, attributeless God. Bring our dear Krishna to us.” They said, “Krishna has stolen our heart and soul. We have only one mind, and that has gone with Him to Mathura; we do not have another to listen to what you are preaching.”

One-Pointed Devotion Of Gopikas

The declaration of the gopikas that they had only one mind made Uddhava recognise their one-pointed devotion. He realised that the pure, unsullied and eternal divine principle could be attained only through fixing the mind on God. The gopikas lamented at their separation from Krishna and said, “We want to see nothing but Krishna’s beautiful form; hear nothing, but the melodious music of His flute and experience nothing but His divine love. We have cried for Krishna so much that our eyes are swollen, and there is not a drop of tear left in them. How can the ship of your message sail in the dry sands of our hearts! So, go back to the place you have come from. We are not interested in the formless aspect of divinity. We want to see the enchanting form of our Lord.” Hearing the words of the gopikas, Uddhava realised that all his jnana (wisdom) was worthless. He considered himself to be totally ignorant as he had underestimated the love and devotion of the gopikas for Krishna.

He stopped preaching and tried to hand over Krishna’s letter to the gopikas, saying that it contained Krishna’s message for them. He wanted them to read it. They refused to accept the letter, saying that they could not read it as they had no knowledge of akshara (alphabet). But their minds were merged in the Akshara Svarupa (immortal form) of Lord Krishna. Uddhava was a bit angry with the gopikas, thinking that they had no respect for even Krishna’s message. Then one of the gopikas started explaining, “There is no point in accepting Krishna’s letter as we, being illiterate, cannot read it. There may be one or two amongst us who can read. But we are afraid that our tears may drop on the letter and wash out the words written in it. There is another reason too. Our whole body is heated up on account of separation from Krishna. So, it is possible that the letter may get burnt to ashes if our hands were to touch it. You are unable to understand our plight.”

They sent a message to Krishna addressing the bee.

“O bee, why don’t you go back and tell Krishna 
that He should look at us at least once? 
Can you not tell Krishna to illumine 
our dark hearts with His resplendent form? 
Our life has become like a dried tree. 
Please tell Krishna that 
He should look at us at least once? 
Can you not tell Krishna to illumine 
our dark hearts with His resplendent form? 
Our life has become like a dried tree. 
Please tell Krishna to put some life into it?”

(Song in Telugu)

Radhika prayed,

"O Krishna, we are anyway going to die 
because of separation from You. 
Please allow us to be with 
You at least in Your next incarnation. 
If You take the form of a tree, 
allow us to be the creepers that will twine around You. 
Let us be the honeybees hovering over You. 
If You stand like Meru mountain, 
let us be like a waterfall flowing from it. 
If you become the mighty ocean, 
let us become the rivers ready to merge in it."

(Poem in Telugu)

Thus, the gopikas always craved for divine proximity. That is the sign of true devotion. True philosophy comprises of establishing a relationship between the individual and God. The gopikas never gave scope for narrow feelings. They aspired for the intimate relationship with God.

The best way to love God is to love all and serve all. Have the firm conviction that God is present in everybody. There is no place where God does not exist. But you cannot see God as long as there is a sense of ‘I’ (ego) in you. The gopikas had absolutely no sense of ego. Their ‘I’ had merged with Krishna. So long as there is ego in you, you will find only multiplicity. Once you realise that you and I are one, you will find unity everywhere, which is true and eternal.

Dedication Of The ‘Messengers Of Sathya Sai’

The old students association of Anantapur Campus, the Messengers of Sathya Sai, is celebrating its Annual Day today. There are serving the society and spreading Swami’s message in accordance with the sacred name of their association. You have listened to the report on their activities. Truly speaking, they have done much more than what has been mentioned in the report. In fact, I instructed them to make the report as short as possible. Though their report is brief, they are doing remarkable service to society. Not only here, but also in various other countries like Japan, Canada, America, Germany, etc., They are undertaking service activities, upholding the ideals of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. They are spending their earnings on service activities. When questioned by their parents, they reply, “Swami has given us free education and free medical care. We owe our wealth and health to Swami. So, all our earnings should be directed for the service of society. We are not misusing even a naya paisa.” Thus, they are bringing about transformation even in their parents also.

Never Underestimate The Capacity Of Women

You all know that there is a lady doctor, an eye specialist, by name Dr. Vansa in our General Hospital. She is a widow. Her daughter studied in our college, and now she is living in Australia with her husband. She has brought about a transformation in her husband, and as a result, he is also actively involved in various service activities. Both the husband and wife spend their earnings in the service of society. They do not have children. Dr. Vansa prayed to Me that her daughter be blessed with a child. Her daughter said that Swami was everything for her and she did not want to get tied up in family affairs by having children. She said that she considered all children as her own. She prayed that she should have the freedom to render service activities to her satisfaction. Many women have such noble desires, but among men, we hardly find anybody having such broad feelings.

Since ancient times, many noble women have taken birth in this sacred land of Bharat who have set an ideal to the world with their exemplary character and devotion. You might have heard of Savitri, who brought her dead husband back to life; Chandramati, who extinguished the wildfire in a trice demonstrating the power of truth; Sita, who came out of the blazing fire unscathed, and Damayanti, who burnt a wicked hunter to ashes with the power of her chastity. All these noblewomen have brought name and fame to Bharat. Not only Bharat, but the whole world will also progress because of women of character and nobility. So, never underestimate the capacity of women.

Women Symbolise Bhakti And Men Stand For Jnana

The 75th Birthday of this body is approaching. The Messengers of Sathya Sai have chalked out elaborate plans for the 75th Birthday and have already started executing them. They have purchased 1000 bags of rice for free distribution of food for ten days to the devotees during the 75th Birthday celebrations. There are nearly 3000 members in their Organisation. Their faith is unwavering, and their devotion to Swami is becoming stronger and stronger day by day. They are preparing to distribute 75,000 saris. As they want all the saris to be of the same design, they have already placed an order in this regard. Such devotion and sincerity are present more among women than men.

In fact, women symbolise bhakti (devotion) and men stand for jnana (wisdom). The one with devotion has the right to enter even the inner chambers of the divine palace, whereas the one with wisdom has the access only to the audience hall of God. You may be aware that kings of yore would convene meetings in their royal audience hall where only men would assemble. Men had no entry into the antahpuram (inner chambers of the palace). Only the women who symbolise devotion have access to the antahpuram of God.

What is antahpuram of God? What is antahpuram? Antaratma (Indwelling Spirit) is the antahpuram. It is only the devotion, not the wisdom that leads to antahpuram. Most of the men who have assembled here today are here only because of the inspiration of women. Women are responsible for men to tread along the path of devotion. In My opinion, the Messengers of Sathya Sai should take the lead in spreading the divine message throughout the country. It is mainly by the effort of women that the country will make progress. Not only Bharat, the whole world should progress. The ancient culture of our country should be revived.

The heart of Uddhava, who was considered one of wisdom, was transformed on seeing the love and devotion of the gopikas for Krishna. He approached Krishna with a prayer that he may be blessed with at least a fraction of their devotion. Gopikas said, they had only one mind, and that was centered on Krishna. But men have many minds! This statement of the gopikas is in itself the highest philosophy.

True Christmas Spirit In Prasanthi Nilayam

If you look at the world with a material view, you see the variety. If you look at it with an understanding of divinity, all of it will appear to be the form of God. 'Yad bhavam, tad bhavati' (as are your feelings, so you become). Allah, Jesus, Zoroaster—all these are the names of the same divinity. Today Christmas is mainly celebrated by the Christians, but do not make the mistake that it is only for the Christians. It is a holy and happy occasion to be celebrated by the entire humankind.

Get rid of religious and philosophical differences and enlarge your matam (religion) and mati (mind). There is only one God, and He is the indweller of your heart. If you realise this truth, then the entire humanity becomes a single race. There is only one religion in the universe, and that is prema (divine love). The one without this principle of love in his heart is neither a Hindu nor a Christian nor a Muslim nor a Sikh. He is no better than a demon. Complete unity of all religions can be seen only in Prasanthi Nilayam. Imagine what a phenomenon it is that the Christians from 64 countries of the world have assembled here to celebrate Christmas.

This principle of unity is the sign of true devotion. Swami reiterates that it is not a celebration for the Christians only, but is a holy occasion for the entire humanity. Swami desires that such differences are completely eradicated.

There are several tasks ahead of the Messengers of Sathya Sai. Mere distribution of food, medicines and conducting Balvikas programmes is not enough. Of course, all these are necessary, but along with all these activities, spiritual teachings are also essential. If the spiritual element of life is lost, life is a waste. Therefore, all of you ensure that spirituality is at the forefront of all your activities. These words are addressed not only to the ladies of the Messengers of Sathya Sai. Young men should also take up similar activities.

Women Can Transform The Whole World

Women generally have less freedom than men. If only women had been given the level of freedom that is allowed for men, the shape of the society on the face of the earth would have been changed. They work under many constraints put by their husbands, fathers, and children. In spite of severe pressures from all sides, they are advancing. On the other hand, men have hardly any such constraints. It is surprising why people with such freedom do not take to spiritual quest or social service. What is the use of your education if you do not utilise it for the service of the society? You might as well throw your books in the fire.

Accumulate Guna, Not Dhana

It is more important to accumulate guna (virtues) than dhana (wealth). Wealth is accumulated by so many persons. What do they take away with them when they leave this world? Nothing. Of course, one has to earn wealth. But accumulation of wealth should be within limits. All your faculties should be at the disposal of society. Only then will your country make progress.

You know very well the kind of unrest that is prevalent all over the world today. Fear and terror haunt you wherever you go. It is the duty of the youth to set right this situation. First of all, you should serve your parents. Then look after your family. Serve your community. Then you should undertake the task of serving your country. But do not hanker after the fruit of your efforts. The appropriate reward for all your actions will be granted to you by God. Service to the country itself becomes the worship of God.

Swami is pleased with the services that you have performed so far. But, Swami desires that you should all perform much more. You know how a mother blesses you. It is necessary for you to act in such a way as to get your parents’ blessings and approval. Tomorrow you may also become mothers. Serve your parents today, so that in turn your children may serve you in times of need. As you sow, so shall you reap. The only worthwhile thing to acquire in this world is divine love. This is the noblest acquisition which leads to bliss and immortality. Once you obtain this, all else in the world is yours for the asking. For this, you should first engage yourself in social work. The vain desire to obtain higher and higher educational qualifications should be moderated. You may earn as much wealth as you can, but use it for the welfare of society. Contemplate on God with your total mind and heart. Only then can you attain the goal of your life.

Discourse in Sai Kulwant Hall on 25-12-1999.